Behavioral Research Blog

As a researcher, one of my biggest thrills was being able to predict how someone was going to behave, especially without asking him or her.

When faced with either a male or female patient simulator, both men and women rescuers appeared reluctant to remove a female patient simulator’s clothing.

Can TV footage motivate older persons to start being more active? Being active can improve the overall health of a person (65+ but of course also 65-!).

Want to know where the action is? Interested in getting real-time feedback about a conference, concert, or event hotspots? Read more about the Crowd Emotion Monitor app.

In the GrunbergLab in Amsterdam, I read Arnon Grunberg’s upcoming release. Two researchers hooked me up: sensors on my left hand, rib, chest, and of course the famous head cap to measure my brain activity.

Basil Preisig and his colleagues at the University of Bern, Switzerland, were especially interested in communicative development of people diagnosed with language disorders like aphasia.

Embracing the technological advances of the last decade, many health care professionals have incorporated information technology into their daily routines.

We live in a demanding world: the snort of an email, the squeal of a text, fare alerts, breaking news, SQUIRREL! What was I saying? Oh yes, we live in a distracted world.

We’ve all been there: close to the freeway on-ramp were several choices of the usual variety. I quickly made my decision, rolled through the drive thru, picked an item from the pictures provided, and hit the freeway again.

In a romantic relationship, it is undoubtedly important to show support when one’s partner shares his or her accomplishments and positive life events.

Scientists have been performing open field tests for quite some time now. Over the years it has become one of the most popular tests in rodent behavioral research. So what’s not to love?

We all know that the majority of plant species depends on pollinators, like bees and syrphid flies, for reproduction. What most of us do not know is that this process is far more complex than it looks at first sight.

We all know of animals that are able to regenerate: lizards that grow back their tails, flatworms that can grow into new worms when cut in half. Zebrafish have this special ability as well.

Zebrafish. This little fish is a vertebrate, and a relatively complex one. Looking at the major neurotransmitters and hormones that are investigated in neuroscience, they are as good of a model as many mammalian species.

Some disorders cannot simply be diagnosed with a blood test or tissue-culture. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a good example; its diagnosis relies upon behavioral tests and questionnaires.

Why do wolves howl? From research, movies, and even television series, we learn that wolves cry out to each other to facilitate the reassembling of a pack when members have strayed.

How to mark zebrafish without compromising their behavior? They may have just found the answer to this at the University of Toronto. Cheung et al. tried out a method using subcutaneous injection with dyes.

As humans, we help each other because it is the right thing to do. We help our friends and our family. And of course we help strangers as well. Right?

Anxiety. It is nature’s way to keep us out of harm’s way, so it is a useful emotion. At times, though, it can also be overwhelming. For some, it gets out of control, irrational, and even disabling.

Did you know that Alzheimer’s and diabetes are linked? Patients with diabetes have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and patients with AD show impaired insulin function and glucose metabolism.